Each country has its own unique festivals or attractions that signify something integral to what makes that culture special. Before traveling to Vietnam, the term “water puppet show” was frequently mentioned, it would bring back memories of the most historically significant and universally entertaining shows. There are many funny faces painted on the pads of ten digits and right then an impromptu theatre show is performed for imaginary friends. We have already experienced a Hanoi shore excursion with the magical exploration water puppet in Hanoi, then we now support you some tips below.
The History of Water Puppet Show
According to many documentaries, Water Puppetry brings audiences back to about 1,000 years during the Ly Dynasty. It has been a prolonged peaceful period and prosperity after 1010. In these peaceful periods, Vietnamese people can sit back, relax and come up with or even enjoy their own cultural festivals and traditions, which all make handicrafts flourish and become popular pass time activities, which is also the perfect chance for excellent artists to perform water puppet shows on both land and water.
Originally, the water puppet shows were not only for the entertainment of the local peasants but also the way to keep the spirits diverted so that they wouldn’t cause mischief. In other words, this traditional type of water puppet was deeply rooted in rural Vietnamese traditions that consist of fishing, planting, and harvesting of rice, village folklore.
What to Expect in The Water Puppet Show
In our tour with Hanoi shore excursion, we are extremely overwhelmed by the skill levels involved here. If you want to understand deeply about this type of folk art, you should know that the performance typically features such as there are 7 to 11 puppeteers working in harmony with one another to bring a magical stage to tourists. Do you know that these puppeteers train for at least three years before they get up on as it were - the stage to entertain their viewers.
Typical performances are generally followed by a variety of Vietnamese folk music, and we can easily see some traditional instruments as wooden bells, cymbals, drums, bamboo flutes, horns, and a single stringed guitar. The music plays a huge part in the water puppet show and the instrumentalists often encourage the puppets on display. In a water puppet performance, you can see the form of human characters as well as animal characters crafted and used in each show. After watching a show of water puppet, we have understood many messages being conveyed or some stories related to the life of a typical Vietnamese rice farmer, tending their water buffaloes or catching fish to a variety of folklore. In addition, the water puppet shows often take about an hour and turn into the most entertaining appeals in Hanoi.
Where to See the Water Puppet Show in Hanoi
Arrive in Hanoi, we immediately searched a theatre to watch the water puppetry show, and fortunately, we found Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Dinh Tien Hoang Street, near Sword Lake. It is an ancient theatre that is a magnet for the locals and international visitors who desire to see this traditional Vietnamese form of art.
The water puppet show is integral to your tours in Hanoi for 365 days a year. Don’t worry if your tour is in the winter because the winter months between October and April have four daily shows while Vietnam welcomes thousands of tourists in over the world. And after the water puppet shows, tourists can buy souvenir puppets and learn how to make them dance is unforgettable.
Water Puppet Show Schedule & Ticket Price
The show is performed every day at 15:00 - 16:10 - 17:20 - 18:30 - 20:00. The price for a ticket ranges between 100.000 - 200.000 VND (4.5$ - 9$). Besides, they also offer customized shows.
You can purchase at doors or by contacting the theatre:
Tel: (84-04) 3 824 9494, 3 825 5450
Fax: (84-04) 3 824 5117
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.thanglongwaterpuppet.org
